Tape splicing device



Filed April 14, 1954 I firm Q I 45am J/mg United States Patent Office 2,778,420 Patented Jan. 22, 1957 2,118,420- TAPE SPLICING DEVICE Edward Simon, New York, N. Y., assignor m Robins Industries Corp., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New'York Application April 14, 19 54, SerialNo. 423,048

Claims. (Cl. 164-45) The present invention relates to aidevice adapted" for use in the splicing of a tapezor the like, as for. instance the tape of an electronic tape recorder or a reel photographic filin.

An. object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved device adapted for the purpose mentioned, afiording means to cut the ends to be joined so that they are in" abutment and'mea'ns to trim the joint after applying an adhesive strip across the abutting tape ends.

Heretofore, although devices of this class included means to-trim the adhesive tape along the joint, yet, due to variances in tape width and because the distance between-the trimming blades was a constant, there too often occurred the result that adhesive remained' exposed on the joint assembly.

Therefore, another object of this invention is to provide" a novel and improved device of the'type setforth, which avoids any exposed adhesive remaining on the joint assembly.

A further object hereof is to provide a device of the kind described, of novel and improved construction, afiordi'ng blade mounts whichwill automatically'position resilient straight blades in an arcual format as is required in the practice of this invention.

A further object hereof is to provide anovel and improved device of the type described, which is'reasonably cheap to manufacture, easy and convenient to use and eificient in carrying out the functions for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantageswill become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

Essentially, the present device comprises an anvil for positioning the tape ends tobe spliced; fonaction first by a slitting blade across the work and. then by a pair of trimming blades along the work. The several blades used are carried on a slide which is shiftable' on an'op'erating arm so that the respective cutting means are properly positioned in: relation to the anvil; said' operating arm being movably mounted on a base carrying the anvil, to bring the cutting mean'sintended for any operation, onto the anvil and away therefrom. The trimming blades are specially shaped as will be explained; If desired, provision is also made to hold the work in place on the anvil and to have a properly positionedsupply of mending tape available.

In the accompanying drawings formingpart of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Fig. 1 shows a side view of a deviceembodying the teachings of. thisinvention.

Fig. 2 is afrontview of such device.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the base: member presenting an anvil, means for mountingthe operating member andapart of a-work-clamping-means.

Fig. 4 is. aperspective. view of the operating arm.

Fig 5 is aperspective. view of the. slide for carrying the blade members of this device.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section" taken atlines 6-6 in Fig; 2.

Fig. 7 isa= fragmentary section taken at lines 7-7 in Fig. 2.

Fig, 8 is a. fragmentary top plan view showing a splice intapemade with an adhesive strip applied after the tape ends were slit. This shows thesplice after the first operation.

Fig. 9 is a similar viewshowing the finished splice after the trimming operation.

In the drawings, the numeral 15 designates generally a base presenting atopthereof, the elongated anvil 16 on which to lay the tape ends to be spliced. An operating arm 17 is pivotally mounted at one ofits ends onto the base, behind the anvil on an axis pin 18 parallel to the anvil; Mounting means for said operating arm, may be offered by the ears 19 extending from the base. Said operating arm' 17 is normally maintained in asuitable angular relation to thebase by a torsion spring 20' about said axis pin with one end of such" spring against said arm and the other against the base. When said arm- 17 is manually moved downward, it extends over said anvil 16; If desired, said" pin- 18 may also serve as the axis for mounting the clamping fingers 21, one at either side of the operating arm, and each provided with a rubber pad 22" for holding the work on the anvil when saidclamping fingers are swung downward. Said'clamping fingers, each present a cam contour 21 pressed on by a blade spring finger 23 which extends from the-base;

The' numeral 24' designates generally a slide member on which a cross-wise slitting blade 25' and the pair of spaced trimming blades 26 are mounted. This bladeholding member 24 is slidably mounted on the underside of the operating arm 17 with the blade edges towards the base. There is a lengthwise slot 27 through the operating arm so that a screw 28 therethrough secures a hand knob 29 to said'slide 24, which latter is held against turning movement by the flanges 17' of the operating member; the slide being a piece of channel positioned inverted on the underside of said operating member.

In the preferred embodiment shown, each wall of the slide channel member 24 is provided with three spaced heightwise notches to the floor of such channel piece. The planes through the notches 30, 30 and 31, 31 respectively are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the line of length of said channel. When the blades 26 are mounted in said notches as shown, they would. be parallel. The third set of notches are. denoted by' the numerals 32, 32". The plane through them is angular to the length of said channel piece and preferably makes a 45 degree angle therewith. The blade 25 when set in such notches 32, 32' would serve to make a diagonal cut 37 across overlapping, ends 33,.33 of a tape to be spliced. There is a block 34 between the blades 26 at their mid region, secured to the slide member 24. The dimension of said block between the blades 26, is less than the distance between said blades when the latter are parallel. The mid-portions of said blades 26 are drawn towards each other andso maintained by a screw 35 through them and the block 34, and of course, a nut on such screw. Said blades26, as an assembly, thus present what may be called a double concave format to accomplish the trimming. of the spliced region along the oppositely inwardly curved lines 36,36.

The spacing of the blades 25 and 26 and the permitted limits of movement of the slide. 24 along the opera-ting arm 17, are suchthat whenv the said slide. is. in one limit position, blade. 25. when brought. onto the. Work on the anvil 16,.wi11 accomplish. theslit 37, while when the slide is atits other limit position blades 26 when broughtonto the. work by shifting the operating armdownward, will accomplishthe slitting of the work along thelines 36, 36.

The blades 26 have a rubber piece 3% between them and blade 25 is backed by a rubber piece 39, which rubber pieces overlap the blade edges respectively as in dinking dies used in die-cutting, and act as ejec-tors. The channel ends 16' of the anvil 1&5 serve to hold the reduced ends of a vulcanized fiber piece 49 upon which the blades cutting edges impinge after passing through the work.

To make a splice of tape ends 33, 33, they are placed along the anvil 1-6 is overlapped relation. The clamping fingers 21 are brought down to hold these tape ends in place. The slide member is set so that when the operating arm is brought down, will efiEect slit 37 by means of the diagonal blade 25. A detent steel ball held by the blade spring 41 maybe used to locate the slide member 24 at its limit positions where such ball engages the indented sockets 42 and 43 respectively in the body of the operating arm 17. Now, upon bringing the said operating arm downward so that blade 25 shall do its work, both tape ends will be out along line 37. The cut tape ends are now in abutment, the lower cut-off piece is left on the anvil, but the operator removes the piece cut off the tape end which is on top. Now a piece of adhesive strip which may be transparent and of the pressure-sensitive type indicated by the numeral 44, is made to adhere to and cover the joint as in Fig. 3. The end of a supply of such adhesive tape may be had accessible as at 44 from a roll thereof (not shown) at the rear of the device shown; said adhesive tape end lying between the spring fingers 23 and through the opening afforded between the cars 45 of the operating arm 17.

After the operating arm is let up again, the Slide 24 is shifted to its other limit position so that upon bringing said arm down, the trimming blades 26 will effect the finished splice shown in Fig. 9, where the tape ends 33, 33 and the adhesive strip 44 are out along the curved lines 36, 36.

The adhesive strip 44 as originally applied as in Fig. 8, overlaps the longitudinal edges of the tape 33, 33'. The length of this strip along the tape being mended, is preferably less than the length. of the chord of any of the arcs 36, 36' and the ends of such adhesive strip shall be between the ends of said arcs and said arcs shall intersect the longitudinal edges of the tape 33, 33. Spliced in this fashion and trimmed as described, no portion of the mending strip with adhesive exposed can occur. However, to be precise, it may be noted that some adhesive, though slight, may be exposed along the arcual edges 36, 36. Even if there present, it would. not interfere with smooth tape travel in any guide or roller system on which the tape might be run, because rollers or guides would only contact the running tape along the longitudinal edges thereof and will never come in contact with the arcual cut-ins in such edges.

If desired, the limit stops for the blade-carrying slide member 24- may be the flange 17 and a lug 46 on the operating arm 17. The clamping fingers 21 are merely an added convenience for the device. To those versed in the metal-working art, it will be apparent that the base, the anvil and the cars 19, may be an integral construction suited to be made on a punch press.

This invention is capable of various forms and applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. it is therefore intended and desired that the embodiment shown herein shall be deemed illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claims rather than to the specific description herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A tape splicer comprising, in combination, a base member; a manually operable arm member; means connecting said arm member to said base member for movement with respect thereto toward and away from an operating position Where a portion of said arm member is located over and adjacent to a portion of said base memher; a pair of cooperating cutting elements respectively carried by said member at said portions thereof and directed toward and cooperating with each other when said arm member is in said operating position, said cutting elements respectively being in the form of an anvil and a cutter having three cutting blades, said cutter being carried by said arm member and said anvil being carried by said base member and having an anvil surface toward which the cutting edges of the cutting blades are directed when said arm member is in said operating position; positioning means forming a unit with said anvil and cooperating therewith for positioning a pair of tape portions in overlapping relation extending over a predetermined elongated anvil surface portion having a width equal to that of said tape portions; and means connecting one of cutting elements to the member carrying the same for movement in a direction transverse to said elongated portion of said anvil surface between a pair of cutting positions, one of said cutting blades extending across said elongated anvil surface portion when said arm member is in said operating position and said one cutting element is in one of said cutting positions, for cutting off parts of the tape portions and forming abutting edges at the ends of the thus cut tape portions, and the other two cutting blades being spaced from each other by a-distance approximately equal to the width of said elongated anvil surface portion and being respectively located approximately along the edges of said surface portion when said arm member is in said operating position and said one cutting element is in the other of said pair of cutting positions, for trimming from the tape portions an adhesive element joining the tapes together and extending beyond the edges of the tapes.

2. A tape splicer as recited in claim 1 and wherein said positioning means is in the form of a pair of elongated channel members which are open at the top and which extend beyond and form extensions of said elongated anvil surface portion.

3. A tape splicer as recited in claim 1 and wherein said other two cutting blades are arcuate and have convex faces directed toward each other, the intermediate portions of said other two blades being spaced from each other by a distance less than said width of said elongated anvil surface portion and the ends of one of said two cutting blades being spaced from the ends of the other of said two cutting blades respectively by distances greater than said width so that said other two cutting blades trim away portions of the tapes at the ends thereof.

4. A tape splicer as recited in claim 1 and wherein said arm member is the member carrying said one cutting element, so that said one cutting element is said cutter.

5. A tape splicer comprising, in combination, a base member; a manually operable arm member pivotally connected at one end to said base member for turning movement with respect thereto downwardly toward and upwardly away from an operating position where a portion of said arm member is located over and adjacent to a portion of said base member; a cutter having three cutting blades carried by said arm member at said portion thereof; an anvil carried by said base member at said portion thereof and having an anvil surface toward which the cutting edges of the cutting blades are directed when said arm member is in said operating position; positioning means cooperating with said anvil for positioning a pair of tape portions in overlapping relation extending over a predetermined elongated anvil surface portion having a width equal to that of said tape portions, said anvil surface portion being substantially parallel to the turning axis of said arm member and being located beneath said portion thereof when said arm member is in said operating position; and means connecting said cutter to said arm member for movement in a direction transverse to said elongated anvil surface portion between a pair of cutting positions, one of said cutting blades extending across said elongated anvil surface portion when said arm member is in said operating position and said cutter is in one of said cutting positions, for cutting oi'r parts of the overlapping tape portions and forming abutting edges at the ends of the thus cut tape portions, and the other two cutting blades being spaced from each other by a distance approximately equal to the width oft said elongated anvil surface portion and being respectively located approximately along the edges of said surface portion When said arm member is in said operating position and said cutter is in the other of said pair of cutting positions, for trimming from the tape portions an adhesive element joining the tapes together and extending beyond the edges thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Valiant et a1 June 26, Collins Feb. 21, Stevens Apr. 19, Ackermann Nov. 22, Rauber Jan. 7, Spiros Nov. 11, Wittel May 12, Elliot et a1. Oct. 4, Berkowitz Nov. 24, Gavin July 22, 

